Swine Industry: Zinc Oxide Restrictions are Coming

ST. CHARLES, MO (July 2, 2019) – Novus International, Inc., global leader in health and nutrition solutions for animal agriculture, is co-sponsoring a webinar this month that aims to provide insight and suggestions regarding a growing concern for the swine industry: what to do as more countries restrict zinc oxide use in pig production.

Hosted by FeedNavigator, the webinar - Weaning Without Zinc Oxide - will explore options for producers to consider when they must adapt their operations to wean piglets without the use of zinc oxide.

“Producers in the European Union will be banned from using zinc oxide starting in June 2022, so it is very important that those affected seek out and test alternative strategies now,” said Dr. Mercedes Vásquez-Añon, director of animal research at Novus. “Novus offers a solution in our MINTREX® Zn chelated trace mineral, which has been shown to have similar or better outcomes with far less inclusion than zinc oxide (100 ppm compared to 2000 ppm).”

Vásquez-Añon mentioned that along with studying how replacing zinc oxide with more available zinc from MINTREX® Zn is shown to improve immunity in the piglet, Novus is also researching organic acid encapsulated technologies and phytogenic compounds to help the piglet overcome the transition from milk to dry feed.

“We know piglet welfare is large concern for our customers and the entire swine industry. That’s why Novus is co-sponsoring this webinar; to help swine producers make intelligent and informed decisions regarding their next steps,” she said.

Weaning Without Zinc Oxide will begin at 9:30am CST on Thursday, July 11. The program is moderated by Jane Byrne, senior editor at FeedNavigator. All participants will receive exclusive information on Novus’s MINTREX® Zn chelated trace mineral and how it is affective as a replacement for zinc oxide in piglet diets. Click here for more information and to register. For more information about FeedNavigator, visit feednavigator.com. For more information about Novus International, visit www.novusint.com.

Around the globe, anticipated changes in livestock feed mineral inclusion regulations are shaking up historical approaches to mineral supplementation. This has led many to question not just how much mineral to add to various livestock rations, but also their source.

18 February 2020- Novus recently published a book entitled Nutrition of Hyperprolific Sows , intended to be a practical text offering nutritional solutions to help producers protect their margins and generate discussion about nutrition's role in addressing some of the welfare and production issues that have come up as sows are enabled to exceed their genetic potential.

All this means that it is time to call into question the nutritional models around which feeding programs are based and ensure that they are up to the task. Novus is contributing to this conversation with its recently released book Nutrition of Hyperprolific Sows.